Fifty Shades Darker

The extent to which Director James Foley’s Fifty Shades Darker works is specifically attributable to Dakota Johnson. 

 

Beyond her attractive physical appearance, she proves herself a fine actress with subtle facial expressions that elevate Writer Niall Leonard’s dialogue.  Without her, the film would be no more than an HBO/Showtime soap opera. 

 

That doesn’t mean the film is bad.  It is well-produced and, though not as captivating as Fifty Shades of Grey, it should appeal to fans of E.L. James’ books, as well as, set up their appetites for the next installment.

I give Fifty Shades Darker a 3.5 out of 5.

I Am Not Your Negro

Director Raoul Peck’s documentary I Am Not Your Negro is must-see viewing for anyone, who wants to understand the dynamics of the racial issues that have dominated American history over the last 60 years.

 

Based on Writer James Baldwin’s unfinished novel Remember This House, the film covers Baldwin’s personal experience, as well as his relationships with Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Medgar Evers, all of whom were assassinated in the cause of Civil Rights.

Editor Alexandra Strauss has done a masterful job in stringing together footage from a variety of sources, both then and now, to create an understanding to White Americans of our Country from the point of view of, arguably, the most articulate Black American of the past century. 

Having had the honor of spending one-on-one time with both Baldwin and Malcolm X, the film allowed me to piece together thoughts and develop a greater understanding of them, as well as the plight of all Americans, who suffered for their rights then and are doing so, now.

I give I Am Not Your Negro a 4.6 out of 5.

The Space Between Us

Director Peter Chelsom’s The Space Between Us is some kind of wonderful.

Writer Allan Loeb’s script, from a story by him, Stewart Schill and Richard Barton Lewis is a delightful fantasy about a boy (Asa Butterfield) whose astronaut mother (Janet Montgomery) dies in childbirth, after landing on Mars as part of a team, initially scheduled to live on the planet for 4 years.

 

Because of P.R. implications, the head of the program (Gary Oldman) keeps the boy’s birth secret for 16 years.  But, when the precocious teen finds a way to chat via Internet with a young woman (Britt Robertson) in Tulsa, he pleads to visit Earth and, once here, escapes to see her and try to find his father.

The film works, primarily, because of the excellent casting of Butterfield and Robertson, who make an endearing couple.

Chelsom and Editor David Moritz move the actions along, briskly, Production Designer Kirk M. Petruccelli has created wonderful Martian and spaceship sets and Cinematographer Barry Peterson has captured fabulous images as the young couple fleas authorities across the American southwest.

If you can accept that this is a fantasy, you’ll thoroughly enjoy this unique romance. 

If you’re not delighted, that’s okay.  I’ll just feel sad for you.

I give The Space Between Us a 4 out of 5.